Everything about Mughal Architecture totally explained
Mughal architecture, an amalgam of
Islamic,
Persian and
Indian architecture, is the distinctive
style developed by the
Mughal Empire in
India in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Early Mughal architecture
The Mughal dynasty began with the emperor
Babur in 1526. Babur erected a mosque at
Panipat to celebrate his victory over
Ibrahim Lodi. A second mosque, known as the
Babri masjid, was built in
Ayodhya, and demolished in 1992 by Hindu fundamentalists. A third mosque also built by Babur during the same period was constructed in Sambhal in Distt Moradabad
Some of the first and most characteristic examples that remain of early Mughal architecture were built in the short reign (1540–1545) of emperor
Sher Shah Suri, who wasn't a Mughal; they include a mosque known as the
Qila i Kuhna (1541) near
Delhi, and the military architecture of the
Old Fort in Delhi and
Rohtas Fort, near
Jhelum in present-day
Pakistan. His mausoleum, octagonal in plan and set upon a plinth in the middle of an artificial lake, is in
Sasaram, and was completed by his son and successor
Islam Shah Suri (1545-1553).
Akbar
The emperor
Akbar (1556-1605) built largely, and the style developed vigorously during his reign. As in the Gujarat and other styles, there's a combination of
Muslim and
Hindu features in his works. Akbar constructed the royal city of
Fatehpur Sikri, located west of
Agra, in the late 1500s. The numerous structures at Fatehpur Sikri best illustrate the style of his works, and the great mosque there's scarcely matched in elegance and architectural effect; the south gateway is well known, and from its size and structure excels any similar entrance in India. The Mughals built impressive tombs, which include the fine
tomb of Akbar's father Humayun, and
Akbur's tomb at
Sikandra, near Agra, which is a unique structure of the kind and of great merit.
Jahangir
Under
Jahangir (1605–1627) the Hindu features vanished from the style; his great mosque at
Lahore is in the Persian style, covered with enamelled tiles. At
Agra, the tomb of
Itmad-ud-Daula completed in 1628, built entirely of white marble and covered wholly by
pietra dura mosaic, is one of the most splendid examples of that class of ornamentation anywhere to be found. Jahangir also built the
Shalimar Gardens and its accompanying pavilions on the shore of
Dal Lake in
Kashmir. He also built a monument to his pet antelope,
Hiran Minar in
Sheikhupura,
Pakistan and due to his great love for his wife, after his death she went on to build his
mausoleum in
Lahore.
Shah Jahan
The force and originality of the style gave way under
Shah Jahan (1627-1658) to a delicate elegance and refinement of detail, illustrated in the magnificent palaces erected in his reign at
Agra and
Delhi, the latter one the most exquisitely beautiful in India. The most splendid of the Mogul tombs, and the most renowned building in India, is the Taj Mahal at Agra, the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Shah Jahan.The Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) in the
Agra Fortand The
Jama Masjid at Delhi are an imposing building, and their position and architecture have been carefully considered so as to produce a pleasing effect and feeling of spacious elegance and well-balanced proportion of parts. In his works Shah Jahan presents himself as the most magnificent builder of Indian sovereigns. He also built the
mausoleum and sections of the huge
Lahore Fort that include the impressive Moti Masjid,
Sheesh Mahal, and
Naulakha pavilion which are all enclosed in the fort. He also built a mosque after himself in
Thatta called
Shahjahan Mosque. Another mosque was built during his tenture in Lahore called
Wazir Khan Mosque, by Shaikh Ilm-ud-din Ansari who was the court physician to the emperor.
The Taj Mahal
The
Taj Mahal, the "teardrop on eternity", was completed in 1648 by the emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife
Mumtaz Mahal who completely symmetric other than the
sarcophagus of Shah Jahan, which is placed off center in the crypt room below the main floor. This symmetry extended to the building of an entire mirror
mosque in red sandstone, to complement the
Mecca-facing mosque place to the west of the main structure.
The
Taj Mahal (1630-1653) in Agra, India and the
Shalimar Garden (1641-1642) in
Lahore,
Pakistan, are two sites which are on the
world heritage list of
UNESCO. One can see the architectural similarities and the love for water that the Mughals expressed in many of their buildings.
The Taj is considered to be one of the most beautiful
monuments of love and is one of the
Seven Wonders of the World, when it comes to
tourism.
Aurangzeb and later Mughal architecture
In Aurangzeb's reign (1658–1707) squared stone and marble gave way to brick or rubble with
stucco ornament.
Srirangapatna and
Lucknow have examples of later Indo-Muslim architecture. He also added his mark to the
Lahore Fort and built one the largest mosques in the city, called
Badshahi Mosque. He also built one of the thirteen gates, and it was later named after him,
Alamgir.
Characteristic elements of Mughal architecture
Further Information
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